Air India to send certain employees on leave without pay for up to five years

Air India has initiated the method of figuring out staff, based mostly on numerous elements like effectivity, well being and redundancy, who can be despatched on obligatory go away with out pay (LWP) for as much as 5 years, in line with an official order.

The airline’s board of administrators have authorised its Chairman and Managing Director Rajiv Bansal to ship staff on LWP “for six months or for a period of two years extendable up to five years, depending upon the following factors – suitability, efficiency, competence, quality of performance, the health of the employee, an instance of non-availability of the employee for duty in the past as a result of ill health or otherwise and redundancy”, the order assertion on July 14.

The departmental heads within the headquarter in addition to regional administrators are required to evaluate every worker “on the above-mentioned factors and identify the cases where the option of compulsory LWP can be exercised”. “Names of such employees need to be forwarded to the General Manager (Personnel) in headquarter for obtaining necessary approval of CMD,” the order added.

In response to queries relating to this matter, Air India spokesperson mentioned, “We would not like to make any comment on the issue.”

The aviation sector has been considerably impacted because of the journey restrictions imposed because of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. All airways in India have taken cost-cutting measures equivalent to pay cuts, LWP and firings of staff with a purpose to preserve money movement.

India resumed home passenger flights from May 25 after a spot of two months because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, the airways have been allowed to function solely a most of 45 per cent of their pre-COVID home flights. The occupancy charge in Indian home flights has been round 50-60 per cent since May 25. Scheduled worldwide passenger flights proceed to stay suspended in India since March 23.